The Gathering of the Lons
by renko-chan
Summary: [Darkangel Sequel]Kagome has finally freed Inuyasha from the evil witch's spell. Yet as he begins to distant himself from her, Kagome starts to questions his freedom. But when she leaves to take on a mission, he refuses to let her go on alone without him.
1. Identity

Summary:AU Kagome has finally freed Inuyasha from the evil witch's enchantment. As he begins to distant himself from her, Kagome starts to wonder whether Inuyasha is truly free from the witch's grasp. But when she leaves to take on a mission, he refuses to let her go on alone without him. 

**AN:**Whelp, this is the sequel to The Darkangel. You probably want to read that before this one. It might make more sense if you do. I guess you don't have to read Darkangel, though I recommend it. 

Also, sorry for starting on this late. I was actually planning to start this story a bit earlier but I've been stressing my time on making my website...which I FINALLY finished. O.O Thank god. 

Make me happy and visit it. It has most of my drawings on it so I think you'd want to check it out. I don't draw that bad... And while you're at it, please sign my guestbook. ^_^ 

http:// spiritedaway. chaotik. net 

Just ignore the spacing and you get the site. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha nor the original ideas of the Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce that this story is based on. Um, what else? Ah, and the whole Charter and Free Magic ordeal is based on the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix. Hm, I think that's it. Yeah, that's it. 

This chapter's bound to have some grammatrical errors in it because I haven't looked over it yet. But I will when I find the time to. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**The Gathering of the Lons**

**Arrival**

**Chapter 1**

  
  


  
  
  


* ~ *

Horns blew from the watchtowers as the wind swept Inuyasha and Kagome's transport high over the city gates of Esternesse. Kagome turned to her sleeping companion. She sighed, wishing she did not have to be the one who had to wake him. 

The wind caress his skin and gently blew through his silver white hair. His adorable ears twitched as the ocean breeze whisked playfully at them. The red haori and hakama that they found eariler at the castle looked remarkably well on him. His face seemed so calm and at ease, it seemed like a sin to wake him from his peaceful slumber. 

Kagome reached over and nudged him gently on the shoulder. "Inuyasha," she whispered. "Inuyasha, we're here." 

Inuyasha shot up at Kagome's slight touch. His ears twitch and his eyes whipped around alarmingly. His sudden movement caused the featherly sail to rock slightly in the air. "What?" 

"We're here." 

Inuyasha's body tense and his breathing sped up a knotch as his eyes averted to the lady emerging from the doors of the palace they were approaching. Kagome laid a hand gently on his arm. 

"Calm down," she murmured. His breathing slowed but his body was still stiff. 

Kagome followed his gaze. The lady was dressed in the most elaborate robes she had ever seen and her hair was held up by beautiful ornamental sticks. She stood tall with her chin held up high and her walk was graceful but held an aura of power and authority. 

Kagome heard Inuyasha draw breath and whistle a low note, summoning a wind to bring their transport down onto the square in front of the palace. Guards swarmed around them, their spear tips gleamed wickedly in the sunlight. Once it had settled, Kagome stepped off the heap of feathers with Inuyasha following close behind her. 

Kagome bowed low to the lady in front of her. "Are you Lady Shinako?" she asked. "Queen of Avaric?" 

The beautiful woman nodded. "Yes. I was the Queen of Avaric many years ago. Who are you?" 

"I am Kagome," Kagome replied. "I've come from Avaric to return to you your son." She shifted uncomfortably. Speaking so formally felt unnerving. She was really just imitating the polite manner she had seen Renko display during special occasins back in her village. 

Kagome felt Inuyasha close to her, not touching, but she could feel his long hair brush the back of her hand. He said nothing. He stayed silent with his eyes focused on the lady in front of them. Lady Shinako's eyes did not leave Kagome. 

"My son is dead," she said. "He fell in a desert lake and drowned." 

Kagome shook her head. "He didn't drown. That was a lie his nurse told you." Her skin grew cold at the thought of Dirna. Dirna was the young prince's nurse in Avaric who was later sold in Terrain to be a servant in the house of the syndic, where Kagome drew to know her. Kagome turned back to the Lady. "Your son's nurse, Dirna, gave him up to the lorelai, a water witch who kept him for ten years as her prisoner beneath the lake. Then..." 

She stopped. What was she suppose to say next? Lady Shinako, your son turned into a darkangel. You know, those evil, bloodthirsty creatures who show no mercy to anyone. The White Witch steals children and turns him into those soul-sucking creatures then sends them out to prey on the world. But don't worry, I save him and turned him back to the way he was before. But in the years he was under the witch's enchantment, he sucked out the sould of thirteen maidens, one of them being my best friend, drank out their blood, and murdered them. 

But was it even her place to say? Kagome glanced back at Inuyasha, whose gaze was drawn to the stone floor. Would he be angry at her if she said the whole story? How would she say it? The Lady's gaze still stayed intently on Kagome. Kagome cast down her eyes. 

"He was the witch's prisoner for ten years," she said, "then another fourteen years more under enchantment in Avaric." It wasn't a lie - but it wasn't the whole truth either. Kagome found the Lady's eyes again. "But I undid that spell." Now the truth. "Your son is free." 

Lady Shinako studied Kagome for a long moment. She drew breath and turned to look at Inuyasha. She started for she had not really looked at him before. Kagome felt him move past her. He knelt and the Lady stared. 

Kagome saw Lady Shinako's eyes saddened. She dropped her eyes. Inuyasha caught her hand as she moved to turn away. The quards drew their swords half-way out their sheaths while the others held their spears threateningly in hand. Lady Shinako drew back in surprise but did not pull away. 

"You changed a lot since the last time I saw you," Inuyasha said in a low tone. "But I still know it's you. Look at me." 

Lady Shinako signed heavily but said nothing. 

"Fine," Inuyasha growling suddenly, casting off her hand. He tossed his head towards the tense guards. "Tell them to attack. Say that I'm not your son. That I'm not Inuyasha." 

An awkward silence quickly followed. Kagome could feel anxiety wrapped its icy fingers around her neck. The Lady drew breath again and drew closer. She traced the five faint long scars on Inuyasha's cheek, then outline of his amber eyes. 

"You have his eyes," she whispered. She then smiled and her hands dropped to his shoulders. "I can't, because you are my son. My Inuyasha." 

  


* * *

  


Kagome held a small lamp in her hands as she stood in the doorway of Inuyasha's room. She watched as he twisted and turned in his sleep. His bedsheets crumpled underneath him and his silver hair laid sprawled about his pillow. It had been three days since their arrival and he had been having nightmares ever since. 

Kagome placed the burning lamp on the low table beside her and knelt beside Inuyasha's sleeping form. 

She shook his shoulders as she whispered. "Inuyasha. Inuyasha, wake up." 

She shook him another time when she heard him gasp and wake. She slowly withdrew her hands as Inuyasha sat with a start, blinking and staring at her. Kagome quickly stood up and stepped aside as he swung his covers aside and slid quickly out of the bed. He walked across the room and threw open the window to let the cold night's breeze blow in. He grasped the window sill as his chest rose and fell rapidly. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. 

Kagome drew closer with concern. "I heard you. I came in and saw you were having another nightmare." 

Inuyasha whirled around in anger. "They're my dreams," he almost shouted at her. "They're none of your business." 

His face changed as he turned away; the fierceness of his gaze disappeared into an expression she couldn't name. He whispered so softly Kagome barely caught it. "You can't help me." 

Kagome gripped her thin yukata tightly. "You can barely sleep three hours together," she whispered urgently. "Everytime, you wake up shaking from your dreams. Let me call a healer--" 

"No." 

"Then at least let me tell Lady--" 

"No!" His voice grew hoarse and dry. "Don't tell her anything." 

"What do you dream?" she asked softly. 

He gripped the sill tightly til his knuckles grew white. "Go away," he said tightly. "Can't you just leave me alone? I didn't ask you to come here." 

"But, I--" 

"Go." 

"Inuyasha! Just--" 

Inuyasha abruptly turned, his eyes shone with the irritation and frustration that he felt. He pointed to the open door angrily and shouted. "Go!" 

Kagome jumped at the sudden change of volume in his voice. She slowly backed away until she reached the door frame. She turned and fled so he would not see the unshed tears that threatened to fall. 

  


* * *

  


"Inuyasha...he has changed." 

Kagome was out in the balcony sitting on a white wooden bench, minding her own business. The ocean breeze gently blew through her dark hair as she stared out at the harbor where seagulls cawed and sailors shouted. The skies were clear of dark clouds with the sun out in its brightest. Its light reflected off the aquamarine waters, causing the hulls of the ships to glow with magnificence. The beauty of it all easily cast Kagome off into her own world. She looked up in surprise when she heard the soft voice. 

Lady Shinako quietly walked beside Kagome, her eyes averted ahead of her. 

"Well, from the last time we've been together." 

Kagome looked away. It was too much to hope for the Lady to be oblivious to it all. 

"He had so much energy inside him. He hated to be cooped inside the castle where he'd be surrounded by scholars scolding him to learn the history of his royal kin and how to manage the kingdom when his father would pass away. He would always find some clever way to sneak out and play "Horse Dung" with the stable boys." Lady Shinako chuckled. "Oh, how his father scolded him. He lectured and yelled but you could still see the amusement in his father's eyes. But of course Inuyasha would not listen and go off to play games that involved getting extremely dirty. 

"And his manners! By the time he was six, he could swear worse than a sailor. No matter how much time we took to teach him etiquette, he never learned. I guess letting him go out to the harbor was never a good idea." 

Kagome looked at the Lady at the corner of the eyes. Why was she telling her all of this? 

"But now, he's quiet and subtle. I feel like all the energy that once built up in him escape to some far off place. When he talks to me, he's cold but polite. His replies are short and never tell me much. Hn, he'd make his teachers proud, but his parents sad. I feel like I've lost my son." She looked down at Kagome. "I don't suppose you could tell me why." 

Kagome stared down at the floor. She shook her head. 

The Lady sighed. "I guess it was too much to hope for." She sat beside Kagome. "So tell me, what is it between you and Inuyasha. Are you his wife? I figured it from your attire when you first arrived." 

Kagome nearly scoffed. Wife? Hardly. "I don't know." 

"You don't know if you're his wife or not?" 

"No. I'm not his wife," she said with little uncertainty. Truthfully, she didn't know what Inuyasha thought. "We're just...acquainted with one another." 

Lady Shinako said nothing for a little while. "My servants said he has nightmares." She looked away. "He won't tell me anything. Nothing of what has happened to him in the last twenty-four years. I hardly think what you have told me was the whole story. What was the enchantment on my son? How did he get those scars on his cheek?" 

Kagome could not find herself to look at Lady Shinako in the eye. "I'm sorry, but it's not my place to say." 

The Lady fell silent. She straightened and smiled gently with understanding. She eyed Kagome and cocked her head to a side. "You have beautiful eyes, did you know? Green as emeralds. I knew someone who had such as eyes as yours. She was a very good friend of mine." The Lady turned away to looked at the blue skies. "She was regent here when I married the King of Avaric." Her face saddened a bit. "I never heard of her since then." 

Kagome slowly looked to the Lady. 

"Natsune," she heard her murmur. "Her name was Natsune." 

Kagome watched soundlessly as Lady Shinako straightened herself and turned to Kagome as she stood. She smiled and patted Kagome's arm. "I hope things go well between you and my son." 

Kagome said nothing. But when her words fully registered into her head, she stood up and turned. "Wait! What's that suppose to mean--?" Her voice trailed off when she realized the Lady was gone and she was alone again. 

Kagome sank down onto her bench. "I hope things go well between you and my son"? What was that suppose to mean? She frowned. The Lady couldn't possibly mean that she wanted Inuyasha and she to be...? 

She rapidly shook her head. That was impossible. She and Inuyasha could never be an item. But then again, it wouldn't be too bad... 

He was incredibly good-looking. Back at the darkangel's castle, he wasn't too modest in covering every inch of his body. His very _fine_ body to be exact. She remembered he was muscular, not bulky and barbaric, but trim and nicely curved. When he moved, they would nicely... 

Kagome stopped herself and shook her head violently. Acquainted, her ass. By the way she was thinking about him, it seemed the exact opposite of their relationship towards each other. She sighed heavily and covered her face with her hands. She didn't want this. She wanted to be somewhere far away from here. Somewhere where she wouldn't have to deal with this any longer. She wanted to go home. But then again, she didn't have a home to go home to... 

Kagome's head jerked up when she heard raised voices. She stood up and walked to the edge of the balcony. Down below she saw six young men walk into the empty courtyard, laughing and talking with carefree ease. She smiled at the familiar faces. She turned and made her way down to the courtyard. 

  


* * *

  


"Kagome! Over here!" cried six boys under the shade of large thriving trees. 

Kagome smiled and waved. They were all Inuyasha's cousins from his father's side, heirs of Esternesse. But unlike Inuyasha, their ears were pointed, and not very dog-like. They were full youkai. Their families' left to Esternesse to find her their Queen after their King's death. For its a belief that a kingdom with no heir is cursed. Lame, but what could she do about it? 

Touya, the oldest, beckoned her to come closer. "We just came back from the scholar's lessons," he said with a hint of disgust in his tone. 

"Really?" Kagome said with mocked interest. "And how were they?" 

Kyo, the second oldest, blew lazily at a drifting leaf. "Boring, as always. If the heat doesn't kill us, the scholars will." 

"Or Scholar Tojo's smell," said Shinta, his body propped awkwardly on the wall behind them all. All six boys groaned heavily in agreement. 

"We've been telling him that he eats too much garlic, but he never listens." Shinji, Shinta's twin, sighed pitifully. Kagome smiled sympathetically with laughter on the edge of her throat. 

"Tell us a story!" Eijiro piped up, his ear twitching with excitement. "One of Midoriko!" 

"Yeah!" Daiki, the youngest, jumped and pulled Kagome onto one of the cushions. "We never heard of that story until you came." 

Kagome sat down. "I don't know..." 

"Aw, come on," Kyo whined. "You remember! Midoriko was one of the last Ancients to leave the world." 

"Because the world was crap and everyone else was turning it evil," Touya continued. 

"But Midoriko left the world with lons, one for every land," Eijiro said as he repositioned himself on the pillow. 

"And the lons brought justice and stuff like that after the Ancients left." Shinta moved out of his awkward position and into a sitting one. 

Kagome laughed. "You basically just told me the whole story." 

Six heads snapped towards her. 

"Aw, man! You guys did just tell her the whole damn story!" Daiki groaned. He smacked the head nearest to him, which happened to be Eijiro. "You idiots!" 

Kagome cocked her head to a side. "What difference does it make? You guys know the story just as much as I do." 

Shinji pouted. "Yeah, but it's better when you tell it. I feel like I'm actually seeing the story happen before my eyes." 

They all made some sort of noise, voicing their agreement. 

Kagome smiled and shook her head. "No stories today. Shouldn't you guys be at the temple or something?" 

They shook their heads. "We're going to the festival in the city." 

Daiki pulled at the sleeve of her kimono. "Come with us. You look like you need some cheering." 

Kagome grinned. "No, it's alright. I need to talk to Inuyasha." 

Kyo snorted and looked away. "He's probably at the temple, like always." 

"He's always waiting for the priests and priestess to remake the starhorse," explained Touya. "Nothing makes him more happy but to know that he's gonna get a winged steed." 

"Too bad there isn't more than one," Eijiro murmured. "Then I could help him fight those damn icari--" 

"He's not there," Daiki interrupted. 

Kagome rose. "Where is he then?" 

Daiki rose with her. "He's in the gardens. There." He pointed to the right. "He had daggers in his hand." 

Kagome followed the line of his arm and turned. Nodding her thanks to him and the others, she walked away. 

  


* * *

  


Each dagger made a dull 'thump' as they were thrown onto the wooden target. Inuyasha glanced at Kagome's approaching figure as he walked to the target and pulled out the daggers. 

"Your mother came to me earlier," she said, "and talked about you." 

He stiffened but said nothing. But she could tell he was waiting for her to continue since he did not move from his spot. 

"She wanted me to tell her about...about what happened before we came here." 

She saw him blanched. "What did you tell her?" 

"Nothing," she answered. "But she knows about your dreams." 

He turned further away from her, clearly refusing to look at her. "When I was a darkangel and heard your stories about mortal things," he said softly, "dreams started to come to me, driving me mad because I wanted those things again, but couldn't." 

Kagome stared at him. That was most that he had said to her since their arrival to Esternesse. 

"And what do you dream of now?" Kagome whispered, afraid that the question would scare him off. 

He opened his mouth to answer, but when he looked up at her, it was as if there was something on her face that made him close it and turn away. 

"It's none of your business," he whispered. 

Kagome clutched her fingers together. But she pressed on. "Do you dream of the lorelai's house?" 

Inuyasha stiffened and slowly turned around. Kagome saw the surprise on his face. 

"It's cold," he said softly. "And everything's so still." He stopped himself before he could go on. He turned away again and started to pull the deeply imbedded daggers out of the target. 

"But you're in your mother's house, now. You're free from all those miseries." 

"Sometimes I wish you told her everything," he muttered. "But she doesn't know me." 

Kagome looked at him. She felt as if she was slowly falling away from him. "You're her son. " 

"_You_ don't know me at all," he spat. 

"But you're my husband." Kagome stopped. Words came out of her mouth before she could stop it. But her reckless words caused him to snap at her. 

"Am I? Do you really think that wedding toast can make it happen just like that?" 

He made to strode away but Kagome stopped him. 

"Alright, you're right. That was stupid. You're not my husband nor do we have any kind of that relationship. But, I want to at least be your friend. But I can't if you don't let it." 

"Why? Why would you?" 

His back was facing her, so she couldn't see his face. 

"Because I want to help you! I know you have a lot things you need to talk about, and I'm here to listen. You have a lot on your mind, I know it! If you talk to me about it, it could ease the burden on your shoulders. With all those thoughts built up in your head, if you don't talk about it, you'll explode with emotion!--" 

"I don't need you." He said it so softly, she barely caught it. 

"I said, I don't need you! And I don't need anyone else! All I need is for people like you to leave me alone!" His voice was so harsh and hard it made Kagome flinched. He strode hard away from her without looking back at her. 

Kagome felt her insides harden. She could feel the hurt from his words wrapped their icy fingers around her neck and erode her heart bit by bit. She watched him continue to wrench the daggers out of the target. He turned and nearly jumped at the sight of her. She then realized that he had expected her to leave. But she couldn't move. It was almost as if her feet were rooted into the ground. He stepped towards her and for moment his clothes gleamed pale. She almost thought he was the darkangel again. 

As he neared her, a frown passed over his face. Kagome broke from her motionlessly and turned abruptly to leave. 

"Wait." 

Kagome halted, mostly from the sheer surprise of feeling his hand on her arm. 

"You're crying." 

Kagome was about to protest until she felt the warm tears spill down her cheeks. She then realized that she could hardly hear him. Dismay clouded her ears and tears of misery blinded her eyes. When she freed the darkangel, she thought she had brought her freedom. Now she realized that she only brought herself into another cage. 

Her whole body shook as she managed to choke through the tears. "Fine," she whispered. "Fine, then. I get it now. I'm not your wife, friend or anything like that. So what does that make me now? Your tormentor?" He said something, but she didn't hear. She didn't want to hear. "Is that why you hate me so much?" she said through gritted teeth. 

Kagome wrenched her arm out of his tight grasp and ran. She didn't know where she was heading, but all she knew was that she had to get out of there. Far away from there. 

If Inuyasha had called after her, she didn't hear him. No, she realized, she didn't want to hear him. She didn't want to hear his voice, because for some reason, it made her heart ache. She covered her ears with her hands and continued to run deeper into the darkness. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**End of Chapter 1**

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**AN**: Okay, well, chapter one's done. Now I need to work on Double Life. -_- 

Okay! Well don't forget to check out my site, which I work so friggin hard on. 

And Review! 


	2. Missing

AN: Heh heh, it's about time I started on this little story. Oh, and also, it's LONS, not LIONS. Just needed to make that clear. 

Well, here we go: 

  
  
  
  
  
  
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** The Gathering of the Lons **

Chapter 2 

Missing 

  


* * *

  


She stared grumpily at the wooden floor. She felt so stupid. 

What was she doing, crying over a guy? A guy she didn't even like, to make it worse. Kagome rubbed her wet face wearily. This was ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. 

That's all she had been doing ever since they had gone here. Cry, cry, cry. It wasn't her. She didn't _cry_. She wasn't the type of person who would bawl over a _guy_. Kagome chuckled dryly. If Renko had seen her like this, she would go into hysterics. Telling her that she was being stupid and that crying was never the answer to anything. 

Kagome sighed heavily. Renko. 

Where was she anyways? Ever since they had left the castle in Avaric, Kagome never saw her companion. Right now would be a nice time to have her company though. Yet, thinking of Renko reverted her thoughts back to the hanyou. 

As a darkangel, he murdered, no, worse that murdered her best friend and twelve other maidens, forcefully made her his wives' servant, and threatened and insulted her every time he saw her. He was rude, arrogant, selfish, and haunted her dreams when she was not with him. He destroyed her life, her hopes, and dreams; yet she couldn't find herself to hate him. 

Something was holding her back, keeping her behind the line of hate. 

Kagome leaned back and rest her head on the arm of the couch she laid on. All of this was really stressing her out. The pointless crying and depressing thoughts were really drawing the energy out of her. She closed her weary eyes and let out a heavy breath. 

Suddenly there was crash of something that was bound to be a very expensive antique. Kagome bolted upwards from her position. She whipped her head around, trying to locate the source. Then she spotted a small table that had been toppled over and pieces of what must have been a very expensive vase were scattered on the floor. And underneath it all was a little bearded man who was struggled to get out of the mess. 

"Myouga!" Kagome exclaimed when she finally recognized who it was. She hurried over and kneel down to pick him out. 

"Ah, thank you, Lady Kagome." Once she placed him down on the floor and he started to dust the dirt off him. 

"I never expected to see this soon," Kagome said honestly. 

Myouga stopped and looked up at her, perplexed. "And why's that?" 

Kagome frowned slightly. "Well, you went to the lorelai's lake, didn't you? I thought it'd take you awhile to come back." 

Myouga blinked. "Oh, that's right. I did, didn't I?" 

Kagome quickly righted the table and tossed away the broken shards. No one would notice it gone anyways. She knelt down back to Myouga. 

"So," she said with a tint of excitement in her voice. "Tell me everything." 

Myouga straightened his robes before looking at her again with a confused look. "Tell you what, Lady?" 

"Your journey, of course." She was in a need of a good story. "I mean I'm assuming that a lot of things must've happened when you tried to enter the witch's castle." 

He blinked again. "Oh." 

Was is just her, or was Myouga started to look nervous? 

Kagome folded her hands in her lap. "Well?" 

"Um, how can I say this?" 

Kagome cocked her head to a side. What was so difficult? All he had to do was tell what happened. Unless, he didn't go at all... 

In a flat voice, she said, "You didn't go, did you?" 

"Well, you know me," he said hastily. "I'm a very busy youkai. But a brave and kind tanuki offered to do the job for me. Such a kind lad he was." 

Kagome rolled her eyes. Inuyasha was right to have his doubts about Myouga. She sighed. Great, even thinking of him made her depressed. 

"So, how are things here?" Myouga asked. 

"Fine, I guess," she answered soberly. 

"And Lord Inuyasha?" 

"Fine-" She stopped. Should she tell Myouga about his dreams? He did tell her not to tell anyone. Well, screw that. It wasn't like he could stop her right at that moment. 

"He's been having nightmares," she finished. 

"Nightmares? Of the lorelai, I'm guessing." 

"Yes." 

"Lady Kagome," Myouga started slowly, his face turning grave. "There was a reason why I came to see you first, before anyone else. Even the Queen." 

"Go on..." 

"...There's task that you need to do." 

Kagome frowned. "What do you mean? I've already done my part. I freed Inuyasha from the enchantment." 

Myouga shook his head. "I'm afraid there's more to be done. Do you remember that rime I told to you, at the darkangel's castle? Well, there's more to it." 

Kagome sat quietly, waiting for the duarough to recite the rime. 

"Well, I don't exactly remember it word for word." 

Figures. 

Myouga's eyes rolled up as he attempted to recall. "Let's see, I think it started out something about a bride in a temple, going into a fire. And steeds for the heirs, I think it was? Well, steeds have to be found and some special arrows, too. There's also something about a wand given wings and personally, I have no idea what that means. Then, um, there's also something about a gathering of gargoyles and some feast on a stone. And I believe the last part says something about overthrowing a hag." 

Kagome gave a deadpan look. "Fascinating." 

Myouga looked at her sheepishly. "Well, I don't remember the rime that well but I'm assuming that the lost lons of the West must be found and gathered. That's the most important part I'm guessing." 

"Lost lons?" 

"Yes. You know each region has a lon, right? Like Pendar has Pendarlon. Well, the lost lons are the lons of the regions that have been taken over by darkangels. After the darkangels took over, those lons disappeared. No one knows for sure what happened to them. Let's see, the cities missing lons are..." The duarough started to count off his many fingers. "Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Osaka, Yokohama, and Sapporo. Oh, and Avaric of course." 

Kagome frowned. "I thought the lons were killed. The icari didn't kill them when they came into power?" 

He shook his head. "No, no. You can't permanently kill a lon. They are always reborn, if so. You don't think Midoriko-sama created the lons so they could be killed easily, do you?" 

"I guess not." 

"Well, time's a wasting. Best you go now." 

Kagome gaped. "Now?" 

Myouga blinked. "Well, yes. The witch has already sent out her searchers. She's searching for the lons, too. Apparently, she lost them so we must find them before the witch does." 

"Where are they now?" 

"In hiding, I'm guessing. But they are the steeds for the heirs, as mentioned in the rime." 

Heirs? Oh, how could she be so dense? The heirs of Esternesse were the ones Myouga must have meant. "You mean Inuyasha's cousins." 

"Yes, of course. You don't expect Lord Inuyasha to go up against six icari alone with the Avarclon, do you?" 

Kagome paused. "Wait, you said a feasting on a stone. In Osaka, isn't there an altar called the Feasting Stone?" 

"...Yes." 

"There's a veiled oracle there, isn't there?" 

"If I'm recalling correctly, yes. To answer riddles and interpret premonitions." 

Pushing away the visions of slave markets that started to appear in her head, Kagome pressed on. 

"So if I go to the oracle, she could tell me the meaning of the riddle and where the lons are." 

Myouga looked thoughtful. "Yes, that's true. She most likely knows the rime much better than I do." 

Kagome stood, her shadow towering over the small man. "When should I leave?" 

"As soon as possible," he answered. "Now is the best time. Cross the Sea of Dust and from there, I'm afraid you'll be on your own." 

She frowned again. "You won't be going with me?" 

Myouga shook his tiny head. "I'm afraid not. I need to talk to the Queen and there are some issues I must attend to." He patted her foot. "Don't worry, I'm sure company will find you soon. Now, you should go before anyone notices you've gone." 

Kagome nodded and watched as the duarough disappear into the shadows. 

She hurried to her apartment and made sure it was empty before entering. She crossed to her trunk and lifted out her long wedding sari. Kagome started at it before tucking it under her arm. She didn't have a definite reason why she was bringing it with her but something told her that it could prove useful later. She then took her favorite yukata (well, it really her only one). It was a light yellow one that she had worn once when she was with the Hikari no Ya. Kagome smiled. The memories there were always good ones. 

She slipped the yukata on and reached into the trunk again before remembering that she did not have her walking stick with her. If she hadn't left it in the desert, she'd probably feel more complete and secure. 

She shut the lid of the trunk close and tucked the sari more securely in her arms before leaving the room. She hurried down the empty halls and into the garden. Every time she passed a fruit tree, she'd stop and pick some of the fruit and tuck them into her sari. (See? The sari was proving useful already.) 

It wasn't too long till she found herself in the Queen's private harbor. 

Kagome looked around as she tried to locate Daiki's little boat. The Queen's youngest nephew had been teaching her sailing, how to tack and duck the swinging boom. When she found the boat, she swung herself and her sari into it. 

"Kagome!" 

Kagome jumped and whirled around. Daiki stood upon the headland, barefooted. He had his boots clutched in one hand and his yellow robe slung over his shoulder, wearing only his hakama. As he hurried over, Kagome noticed with a start that he was sopping wet. 

Daiki laughed when he saw the expression on her face. "I fell into the stream carrying Kyo from the festival. He got drunk," He explained. "The others went on. I was on the bank drying my robe when I saw you go by. Where are you going at this hour?" 

"Can I borrow you boat, Daiki?" Kagome asked instead of answering his question as she looked seaward. 

"Are you going sailing?" He moved to enter the small craft. "I'll go with you." But Kagome stopped him. 

"Where are you going, Kagome-san?" he asked, disappointed. 

She turned to look at him. "I need to run an errand. Alone. It's very important so I have to leave right away." 

"Wait," he said suddenly. "Here, take my robe. It'll help on cold nights. Well, once it's dry." 

Kagome laughed as she took it. "Then take this." She passed him the sari after taking out its contents. 

Daiki looked at it as his ears twitched, bewildered. "What do I do with it?" 

Kagome paused before answering. "Give it to Inuyasha," she said softly and turned away to unite the sail. Well, it wasn't like he'd care if she left anyways. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even notice her gone. Why was she even thinking about this? She turned to Daiki suddenly. "Not right away though. I have to be far away before he knows." 

There, she did it again. She was acting as if he'd cared. But he wouldn't. Inuyasha wouldn't. 

Kagome released the sail from her hands. Daiki caught her hand and for a moment she thought he meant to hold her back but it was only to get her attention. 

"Come back soon." 

Kagome attempted a smile. "I'll be back before the Avarclon awakens." 

_I hope._

The wind caught the sail and Kagome took the tiller as Daiki gave the boat a shove. She swung the sail line into the tack and the wind bore her rapidly away. 

  


* * *

  


"Let me go down." 

"No." 

"She's leaving. I have to get to her before it's too late--" 

"Out of the question." 

"What do you mean? She's going out to the Sea! It's too dangerous!" 

"She'll be fine on her own." 

"You don't know that." 

"I know that she's not ready for you, nor are you ready to go down there." 

"I'm her Guardian. It's my job to look after her. What if she gets killed?" 

"She won't, not on the task she's doing. _You_, on the other hand, will, Renko." 

Renko stomped her foot angrily. "What's that supposed to mean? The only thing keeping me cooped up here is you and the rest of the damn Ancients." 

Saraneth, the Binder, gave her a hard glare before continuing. 

"Your Charter-made body was destroyed and your spirit is in no condition to do _anything_. Going down would only prove futile." 

Renko folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, what happened to me was _not_ my fault. The whole darkangel ordeal was completely uncalled for." 

"The point is you are not fit to leave the Nine Gates of Heaven and she is not ready for you. She relies on you too much already." Saraneth waved his hand indifferently. "But then that doesn't make much of a difference since you made that sending and a part of your spirit in it before the icarus destroyed your body, which by the way, is something I have no idea why you did that since it only made your spirit much more weaker than it needed to be." 

"She needs a guide." 

"And _only_ a guide. I restricted it to only be a messenger of tidings." 

"You _what?!_" Renko hissed through gritted teeth. Her aura seemed to explode with anger, to what Saraneth seemed oblivious to. 

"It's in the form you always use, no? That skinny bird?" 

"It's not just a skinny bird!" Renko clenched her fists. "But your dim-witted brain just can't comprehend that, can it?" 

"What did you just say?" Saraneth said dangerously. He pointed his finger at her. "You better watch that mouth of yours. You should be glad that we haven't replaced you for someone else." 

"Yeah, right," Renko sneered. "Whom would you replace me with? I'm the best one you have. There's no one else in the Nine Gates of Heaven that can handle her and you know that. No Guardian here except me has enough powers to compete with hers." 

Saraneth shook with anger. "Now listen here, you little--" 

"What's going on here?" 

The two whirled as a beautiful lady appeared. Her long dark tresses lay loose on her back and her long white robe enveloped her slender body. Her soft gentle face was now contorted in a frown. 

Renko bowed low. 

"Midoriko-sama." 

Midoriko nodded and Renko straightened. 

"What is the trouble? I can hear you all the way from the Eighth Gate." 

Renko pointed her finger at Saraneth. "Saraneth won't let me leave to go down and do my duty as a Guardian." 

Midoriko lowered Renko's hand. "Don't point, Renko-san. It's not polite. And you are to address as Saraneth-sama." 

Saraneth smirked triumphantly. 

"I'd sooner kiss a Mordicant," Renko snapped angrily. 

Saraneth snarled. "That can be arranged." 

"Saraneth! Renko-san!" Midoriko exclaimed. 

The two stopped short and turned slowly to face the Ancient. 

"Really! Now, Saraneth!" 

He flinched. 

"You need to control your temper! Renko!" 

She flinched. 

"You need you show more respect to Saraneth." 

"I will when he starts deserving it." 

"Renko..." Midoriko said warningly. 

Renko looked away with a huff. 

"Alright." Midoriko smoothed her ruffled gown. "Now, Renko, you are right now to weak to be a Guardian. To send you down would only prove to be pointless." Renko opened her mouth to protest but she cut her off. "You are to stay here until we feel you have fully recovered. And Saraneth, I need you to go into the Eighth Precinct. Ranna and Belager are fighting again." 

Saraneth sighed wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright." 

He padded away but stopped beside Midoriko. He kissed her gently on the cheek. "See you soon?" he murmured. 

She smiled and nodded before he disappeared through the Sixth Gate. She turned to Renko. "Why do you always give him a hard time?" 

Renko shrugged. "He never gave me a reason not to." With a single wave of her hand, she conjured a cloudy bench out of the clouds that surrounded them. She plopped herself on it. Midoriko glided over and sat with a grace Renko seemed to lack. 

"Look, Renko-san, I understand that you're worried about K--" she started but Renko cut her off. 

"I know, but that's not the case." Renko stared off to the cloudy distance. "I'm fully aware that I'm not ready to do gown. I know that I'm probably not strong enough to fulfill any duties as a Guardian, even a low-leveled one. But ever since my 'life' here started, everything revolved around protecting someone or something. And even with previous failures, being told that you can't protect your charge, something you've been doing for the longest time, it kinda sets you off in a bad mood. I know it's stupid, but that's the way it is." 

Midoriko's features softened. Renko saw it and added hurriedly. "Anyways, it's a good excuse to set Saraneth into an explosive mood." 

Midoriko laughed softly and said. "If only he knew." 

Renko looked away. "The old bloke wouldn't understand anyways," she said softly, too soft for Midoriko to hear. 

Her chest fell in a heavy exhale. She scratched her neck as she leaned back. 

She wondered what her charge was doing right at that moment. 

  


* * *

  


Kagome leaned against the tiny mast as she breathed in the tangy ocean smell. Her arms and legs were sprawled over the wooden planks as her face faced the sky with her eyes closed in peaceful content. This was life. 

The ocean's waves swayed the boat in a slow rhythm and the clean ocean breeze tangled itself in her hair. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so relaxed. All her worries, fears, and doubts seemed to be swept away by the wind leaving only contentment and serenity to embark upon a journey into her consciousness. 

But of course, to her great regret, things like that never lasted that long. 

Kagome's eyes snapped when she heard a bird's screeching. Strange that the screeching sounded a lot like complaining. 

"I swear to God, if I ever end up doing shit like this again, I'll...I'll...I don't know what, but it's gonna hurt!" 

Kagome scrambled to her feet and looked skyward as she tried to locate the source of the noise. 

So much for contentment and serenity. 

She held her hand over her eyes from the sun's glare. Far off in the distance, a long-billed bird was flying above with great difficulty. The sky was nearly engulfed with her mighty white wings and she was clutching something dark and straight. And she was flying at an very alarming rate. 

Kagome stumbled to the floor in attempt to duck the massive object in the bird's feet as she soared past the boat, earning more screeching complaints from the bird ("Aw, fuck! I missed it again! This is like, what? The fourth time, already?"). 

The bird made a clumsy turn and nearly tilted over as the heavy object slid in her feet. After a third attempt in trying to right it, the bird gave up and flew lopsided towards the boat. 

Kagome didn't know whether she should hide or just stand there and watch. But apparently, standing there and watching seemed more interesting. But as the bird drew nearer, the thing in her hold looked more ominous and treacherous. Kagome slowly stepped back as she saw, to her horror, the thing in the bird's clutches was slipping. 

The bird flapped her wings wildly as she tried to gain altitude but lost her grip on the object. "Shit!" she cried. "Duck!" 

But she was a second too late. Kagome found herself directly under the falling shaft and felt a blow upon her head. The world darkened as her knees buckled and pitched face-forward onto the wooden planks. 

  


* * *

  


A long trail of water followed Inuyasha as he walked down the hall wringing his hair of water. He saw it coming, but he kept on walking forward. He saw the lady with the wet laundry above on the balcony. He saw that she was drying out the laundry. 

Stupidity? Nah. He just didn't care. Actually, if she was cleaning out the latrines and he still wouldn't care if she dumped crap on his head. He just stopped caring. About anything, really. 

He stopped when a sweet aroma flew into his nostrils. He slowly walked through the door that the smell came from. He immediately recognized it but his face stayed impassive. 

He walked slowly into the center where he was surrounded by light colored curtains. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. 

Her scent. It was all over the room. 

It was a unique one. One he never smelt before. Her scent smelled almost like...no, actually it seemed to have a calmer feel to it. He felt peaceful and relaxed. He snorted softly. Amazing how one person's scent could do to him. 

He opened his eyes and noticed a bare table. He frowned. Something seemed to be missing. 

"What are you doing in here?" 

Inuyasha snapped around and saw Daiki leaning on Kagome's doorway, one hand hidden behind his back. 

"Just walking around," was his toneless reply. 

Daiki sniffed. "Hm, nice scent, huh? It was always fun being with her but she never stayed long. She was always out in the city helping out some poor souls or here, looking for you." He snorted. "She never asked much and was always full of life. 'Cept when she returned from meeting you. She'd put up this big fake smile and act like there's nothing wrong, but you could tell she was lying. You could just tell by her scent." 

Inuyasha looked away. His chest felt suddenly heavy. 

Daiki shook his head in disgust. "I never understood why she stuck by you though." 

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha murmured. 

"If anyone said shit about you, she'd stand up for you." Daiki let out a dry laugh. "Surprised us all really. No matter how much you hurt her, she wouldn't let anyone hurt you." 

Inuyasha blinked, his surprise could only be seen in his eyes. "Why?" 

Daiki shrugged. "Don't know." 

Inuyasha stared at his youngest cousin for a few moments before moving towards Kagome's balcony. Once he stepped outside, the ocean breeze blew through his long white hair. Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest and looked seaward. 

"You haven't notice?" 

Inuyasha shot him a side-glance. "What?" 

Daiki snorted. "You don't feel anything's missing?" 

He blinked and pointed at the bare table. "Yeah, didn't there use to be a old vase there? Looked like an antique?" 

"My God, Inuyasha!" Daiki threw up his hands in frustration. "How could you not have notice?! I didn't tell you because I thought you would've noticed, but it's been two days and you haven't said a thing!" 

That was when he saw what Daiki was hiding behind him. It was a thin long cloth, folded in Daiki's tight fist. 

"What's that?" Inuyasha snapped. 

Daiki held the sari in front of him. "It's Kagome's." 

Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat. His chest felt light suddenly with a sense of urgency. "What's it doing with you?" 

Daiki tossed it to Inuyasha. "She gave it to me two days ago. She went out to the Sea, Inuyasha." 

Inuyasha's eyes snapped up from the sari he held in his hands. 

_What?_

"Alone." 

His grip on the sari tightened. "What?" 

As he shoved past him, Daiki barely caught Inuyasha's words. "That idiot!" 

Inuyasha shot past the twins, Shinta and Shinji. The idiot! What was she thinking, going out to the Sea? Alone, especially! 

Shinji's ears twitched in annoyance when Daiki appeared from Kagome's quarters. "Daiki, what happened? Inuyasha just past us--" 

"--Shot past us--" Shinta cut in. 

"--As if--" 

"--He got bitten by--" 

"--a horse--" 

"--Again." 

"Care to explain?" 

Daiki blinked. He hated it when those two did that. He turned to the direction Inuyasha went and smiled. 

"He's finally opening his eyes." 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**End of Chapter 2**

* * *

AN:Okay, I know the whole part with Renko and Saraneth was _really_ confusing, except a little less for those who've read Garth Nix's books. But either way, really really confusing. But never fear, all shall be explained sooner or later. Be rest assured, in this story. ^_^ 

So no cliffhanger, right? Well, not really. It's not - well...so maybe it's a bit of a cliffie. Okay, so it _is_--Oh, shut up. 


End file.
